Joseph e



J. R. PINNEY. I Electric Lighting Apparatus. No. 234,261. Patented Nov. 9,1880.

3 i v .1 I

and arrangement ofapparatus for electro-iighta diagram representing the arrangement of UNITED STATS ATENT @FFICE.

.JQSEPH R. rumour, or rrrrsenne, PENNSYLVANIA.

.ELECII'RIIC-LIGH'II'ING APPARATUS.

- srncrrrcn-rox forming et of Letters rate No. 284,251, dated November 9, 1 8 i I Application filed November 'I, 1879. v Q l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH R. FINNEY, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric; Lights; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the construction ing, in which several electric lights or series of lights are arranged in the'same electri'c-cir cult, and each light or series of lights is operated by a leak or deflected current passing by a branch wire from the main line to the ground; and it consists, first, in the application thereto of a galvanometer to indicate'the amount of electric current passing over the mainline, and combining therewith an adjust. able regulator so arrangedasto beoperated by the galvanometer, and thereby to adjust the amount of current on the main line to the greater or less number of lights in operation from time to time; second, in combining with each such light or group of lights in a circuit snchas just described, a resistance device to limit the amount of leak from the main line, a regulator for adjusting the amount of electricity'suppiied to each light or group of lights, or to shut'ofl' the'supply at will, and a groundconnection; and, third, in the construction of an automatic device for feeding the movable carbon point ofi an electric light toward the stationary carbon point, so as to secure uniformity ot'light-Q In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is several lights'in an electric circuit and the devices employed for governing and regulating the quantity and three of the'electric cur rent supplied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thearrangement of devices for regulating the supply of electric current to the lights. Fig. 3 is'a vertical section through at w of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical elevation, partly'in section, of an electric candle with automatic feed device. v

In the several figures like letters refer to the same parts.

My improvement in the arrangement of several electric lights in one circuit is applicable to most, if not all, of the known forms and constructions of electric candles, and is not peculiar to that shown in the drawings accompanyingthis specification.

tion, A, and extending continuously to theother terminal station. This wire is designed to supply the electric current from a galvanic battery, or from a magneto-electric machine, to several electric candles located at different points, orto several groups of electric candles, as the case may be. .By a group of electric candles I mean several candles placed in one building or room, each individual candle or group of candles having a separate groundconnection. I

In my improved method of, supplying the eiectrivcurrent towrmmberef electric lights in the same circuit the electric connection of the main wire between the several lights or lights with its requisite quantity of the elec tric current, the amount of which isL-regulated at each light or group of lights by an adjustable resistance device, R. I

From the main -wire a a branch wire, b,"1n electrical connection therewith, extends to each separate candle a or group of candles, and thence connects with the ground or with a ground-wire, d, by a wire, 0.

ln'Fig. l candles are not represented, but

are supposedto be located at the point 0, be-

ing connected to the branch wire b and groundwire d.

Having thus described the general arrangement, I will proceed to describe the devices I I employ for regulating the force of the electric current passing over the main wire ato' supply all the electric candles on its circuit.

At or near the point where the battery B is located there isinterposed in the main wire a an adjustable resistance device consisting of a glass tube,- f, containing pulverized carbon. Each end of this glass tube is set-in a metallic 2 aaaacn end piecefg g, to each of which one end of the wire a is attached, so that the electric current must pass through the carbon contained in the glass tube f. A screw-shaft, It, works ins fcmalescrew in one of the metallic end pieces, 9, of the glass tube, and the extremity of the screw-shaft enters the glass tube f, and

- .Iwhen screwed down presses upon the-carbon ontained therein. ro The electric current does not pass unless 1 the end of the screw-shaft touches the carbon, and the intensity of the current increases as tli e carbon is compressed by the screwing 'x'dowuof the shaft h. n the outer extremity r of the screw-shaft is a pulley, 2', around which a band passesv to a pulley, i, on the indicator. 4 The indicator is designed to indicate the force .f oi. the electric current employed, and also tooperate automatically on the resistance dezo viceB. I The construction of the indicator is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. k is a brassspool, which .is' made long and narrow, having a cavity 'suf-.

" llcieu't in length to allow of the free play within it of a magnetic needle, n,-which is rigidly attached to an upright shaft, m, which passes a J through the spool and has its bearin gs therein. 1 .On the upper side of the spool 70 is a dial-plate,

1), through the center of which the shaft m 6 projects. To the shaft 1 is rigidly attached the pulley a, before referred to, and a hand, 0,- which points to graduationmarks at the circnmference of the dial-platep. The indicator 'is so placed that the magnetic needle 1:, when 5'in'the magnetic meridian, is parallel to the sides of the spool and the hand o-points'to zero on the dial-plate. A piece of flue covv ered wire, I, is coiled around the spool 1:, one 7 extremity of this wire being connected with E 0 the main wire a beyond the carbon resistance device before described, and theother end is connected with the ground or the ground-wire d. On the wire I, betweeuthe indicator and the main wire a, is interposed a resistance- 4 coil, r. y 1

, The operation of this apparatus is as follows: When the end of the screw-shafthis brought in contact with the carbon in the adjustable rcs'istaucede'vice the electric current passes through the main wire a, the circuit being complete. A portion of the current passi f; through the carbon resistance device passes oil through the wire I and around thespool k of the indicator to the ground at G, and in so '55- doing deflects the magnetic needle or more or less, accordingto the amount and force of the current so drawn fromthe main wire. '01

' course'it-is only a small portion of the cur-I rent from the battery B which thus passes through thejindicator; but the'resistance offered by-the resistance-coil r, added to the rc-.

' -sistance of the wire wound around the spool k,

beingconst'ant and not changeable, the amount- 1 {of current passing through the indicator will bear a definite proportion to the whole current passing from the battery through the adjustable resistance f, and thus the deflection of the hand 0 of the indicator will indicate the force of the current passing over the main wire a by means of the properly-regulated graduation of the dial-plate p. As, however, the

.hand 0 is connected with the shaft h of the carbon resistance device by means of a belt, as shown, or by gearing, if preferred, the deflection of the hand 0 will cause the turning of the shaft h and the consequent decrease of compression of the carbon in the glass tubef, which will increase the resistance and check the force of the flow of the electric current from the battery 13 over the main wire a. This in turn causes the deflection of the needle or and hand 0 to diminish, which acts upon the screw-shaft h to lessen the resistance to the flow of the current, and by this means aeonstantly-uniform flow of the electric current over the 'niain wirea is attained by placing in the main circuit an adjustable resistance device, which is mechanically adjusted by the deflection of the needle of a galvanometer 0perated by a side current or leak from the main wire.

I will now proceed to describe the means I use for regulating the force of the electric current supplied to each electric light or group of lights, as shown in Fig. 1.

From the main wire'a a branch wire. 0', extends to each electric light or group of lights to be supplied 'by the current from the main wire. The branchwire b is connected with a resistance-coil, r, and thence connects with an adjustable resistance device, 11', consisting of a glass tube. f containing carbon, and constructed as before described. The wire thence passes to and is'counected with the electric candle 6r groupof candles located at c, and thence connects with the ground or groundwire at G. It will thus be seen that the elec-' tric candle or group of'ca-ndles at c is supplied with the electric current through the branch wire b from the main wire a, and that the amount of current allowed to pass to the can- IIO die or candles is limited by the resistance-coil r' in the first instance, and still further by the adjustable resistance device B, so that the electric current maybe entirely cut oil from the electric candle or candles at cby screwing the shaft It of the resistance device R untilit ceases to form contact with the carbon, and the connection may be at once restored by means of the screw-shaft It. So, also, the amount of electric current passing to the candie or group of candles at cis regulated by turning the shaflz'h of the resistance device R so as to increase or diminish the compression of the carbon in the glass tube, or the current may beentirely cut off by breaking the contact between the shaft h and the carbon in the glass tube f. In Figs. 1 and2 the place of the electric candle is indicated at c. The wire from the resistance devicc R- is connected, as hereinafter described, with the holder of the upper carbon point, z, of the electric candle, while;

nausea f 3 the wire 0', which connects with the ground, is also connected with the post d, which supports the lower carbon point m.

I will now proceed to describe a peculiar ar- 5 rangement of the electric candle by which an automatic feed of one of the carbon points, x, is effected, so as'to preserve its proper relative position to the other carbon point, x.

This construction is shown in Fig. 4, in which q is the standard of the candle, which may be made of glass or other good non-conductor, or if not is insulated from the base. Attached to the standard g by a sleeve, 1), is a bracket-arm, '10, (shown in dotted lines. in Fig. 4,) which extends from the standard q, and is attached to and enters the side of the sleeve 1;, through which sleeve 12 passes an iron rod, z, fittingloosely therein.

The sleeve 1: and rod z are placed vertically in exact line with the socket y, in which the lower carbon point, an, is inserted, the upper carbon point, a:, being secured in the rod z. From the post a fine silk-covered wire, f, extends up through the standard g, and is wound around a spool, S, on the bracket-arm '10, so that the passage of the electric current through it .makes an electro-magnet of the soft iron bracket arm 20, which enters the sleeveo sufliciently to come in contact with the iron rod z. The wire f, after passing around the arm w, is connected with the sleeve v,'so as to complete the circuit. through the rod z and carbon points aw to the ground. The result of this construction is, that as the electric current passes from the main wire a through the wire f the bracket-arm 20 becomes magnetizedandattracts to it the rod z,-holding it securely in place. As soon, however, as the carbon points consume away sufiiciently to break the continuity of the electric current through the carbon points a: as the arm w becomes demagnetized and no longer attracts and retains-the rod z in place. The rod z then slides-down until the carbon points a: a" approachsufficiently near to restore the broken current, when the arm 20 issremagnetized and againholds the rod z in its proper position. In practice, however, the current is never entircly broken, but the rod keeps its proper place by a gradual descent. The amount of wire wound around the spool S is so regulated as to magnetize the arm to sufliciently to effect this-result; It will be observed that in my method of operating a number of single electric candles or groups ofimndles on a single circuit, instead of passing the entire current from the battery through each' candle, and thence through the next candle, and so on through allthe electric candles in the series, I. pass only a portion of the current through eachindividual candle or group of candles, and run that portion of the current directly to the ground, the remainder ofthe current passing on by the main wire to the next candle or group of candles, and so on throughout the circuit; that the amount or portion o l-the current which is thus carried on as a side current to operate each individcal electric candle or group of candles is limited and-determined by a resistance device interposed between the main wire and the candie or candles, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or, it preferred, between the candle or group of candles and the ground, asin Fig. 3, as may i be found most convenient; and, further, that the amount of electric current passing to each light or group of lights is further regulated at the will of the operator by an adjustable resistance device, also located on the branch wire between the main wire and the ground; and that by means of the use of a branch wire and side current to each individuallight or group of lights the electric connection becandles is decreased, so as to give the required force of current and intensityot' light to each successive candle or groupof candles.

Where a group oi electric lights areplaced in a single building or room, whichare all to be used together, they are supplied by a single branch wire, the current passing from one to the other before passing to the ground; but if preferred a separate resistance device may be applied to each separate candle.

Having thus described-my improvementsin apparatusfor electric lights, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric circuit, the combination of a galvanometer operated by a leak from the main line through a resistance with a regulator operated by the galvanometer, substantially as described.

2. The combination, withan electric light or group of lights arranged one. branch from a main electric circuit and operated by a leak therefrom, of a galvanometer and a regulator operated thereby, each such light or groupot' lights having an independent regulator and resistance device, substantially as described.

3. in an electric lamp, the combination of a carbon=holder of iron loosely inserted ill a sleeve with the core of an electro-ma-gnet en-.

'teringthe sleeve so as to come in contact with the carbon-holder, substantially as and for the purpose described. v

"In testimony whereof I, the Sttll'l'JOSEPH R.

FINNEY, have hereunto set my. hand.

JOSEPH R. FINN EY.

Witnesses:

A. O. J ounsrou, W. BAKEWELL.

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